Oil burning apparatus



July 23, 1940. H. ORTLEPP 2,209,281

OIL BURNING APPARATUS Filed May 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l TORNE 6 y 1940- H. L. ORTLEPP OIL BURNING APPARATUS Filed May 27, 1938 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ORNEY6 Patented July 23, 1940 PATENT 'OFFICE OIL BURNING APPARATUS Henry L. Ortlepp, Belleville, N. 3., assignor to I .Home Oil Heating Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 27, 1938,- Serial No. 210,311 3 Claims. (01.158-77) This invention relates to oil burning apparatus of the type wherein oil is supplied to a rotatable head and through centrifugal force ejected through a series of nozzles with which the head is provided against an annular igniting plate or combustion rim located adjacent the walls of the boiler where the oil is ignited and burned. In burners of this type, the air to support combustion is usually supplied by a fan, which, in the particular embodiment herein disclosed, consists of a series of fan blades disposed at an angle with respect to the radii of the burner head and arranged vertically about the periphery thereof. According to this arrangement, the air is drawn up past the burner head and admixed with fuel as it is ejected from the nozzles, the air helping to atomize the fuel so that, when the latter reaches the combustion ring, it will be in condition for ready igniting.

The burner head and fan are both mounted on and for rotation by a power driven shaft and, since they are located in the cornbustionchamber of the boiler, it has been found that the heat conducted by the metal parts to the fuel ejecting tubes at the position where they are located in the head, is such as to effect carbonizing or coking of the oil at this point, resulting in flash been or explosions in the head. The carbon deposits also tend to clog up the tubes, thereby preventing ejection of the oil and occasioning leakage of the latter into the pit below the boiler. This is often followed by pit fires, with consequent damage to the apparatus.

According to the present improvements, there is provided, in association with the burner head, a truncated baflle which directs the air in its passage to the combustion chamber, into close proximity to the burner head in the region where the ejecting tubes are connected thereto, thus materially increasing the Velocity of the air at this point. It has been found that, when operating the burner at its usual or normal capacity and rate of speed, the increase in air velocity is such as to reduce the temperature of the head in the a portion of the fan cut away to show the bafiie;

and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the burner, withthe fan removed and with a portion of the baflle and burner head cut away to disclose the underlying 5 parts. I

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown the lower portion of a boiler havingwater legs A and a hearth B defining the floor of the combustion chamber. Centrally located'with respect to the 10 hearth is an oil burner comprising a support C Oil'WhiCh is mounted, an electric motor D for driving the rotating parts; ;A rotatable shaft E driven'by the motor extends vertically up through v a bearing F likewise mounted in the support C and-which is tapered at its upper end, as at E to receive a rotatable head; The rotatable head includes a top member 'G presenting a hub G centrally drilled to fit the tapered portion of the shaft and presenting a depending fiange'G having a series of apertures to receive fuel ejecting tubes G "extending radially outwardly from the head and which are usually four in number '(see' Figs; 1.; and, 3). Fastened at theperiphery of the flange G is anannular member G having an inclined portion which extends downwardly and inwardly, and formed at its lower endwith an upturned flange Gi'providing an oil receiving trough or cup. The' fiange is spaced from the shaft E a distance suflicient to permit the passage of a tube H through which the oil is supplied to the cup. Thetube H, at its upper end, terminates in a spoutH to permit the oil to drop evenly into the trough or cup and is mounted in a, fixed member F supported by the frame above the 35 bearing F. The tube supporting member F is formed at its periphery with a flange F extending upwardly beyond the lower end of the rotatable cup, so that'very little .or no air Will pass into the cup through the'central opening. 40

The air to support combustion is introduced into the combustion chamber by means of a fan J which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, includes a closed top plat'efJ i fastened at the top of the vertical shaft E by means of a nut, and which has a cir cular depending flange J 2 of a diameter somewhat larger than the distance between the outer ends of a pair of diametrically opposed ejecting tubes (3*, and which is formed with a series of vertical fan blades J3 located at an angle with respect to the .radii of-thefan itself-,'and spaced evenly about the flange J except in those portions o'p-' posite the tubes G where blades are omitted to allow the uninterrupted projection of oil therethrough (see Fig. 3). The fan, at its lower edge,

52 terminates above a circular stack fixed on the support and against which the bricks of the hearth abut. Air is introduced from beneath the burner and passes upwardly through shutters L formed in a truncated element L (see Figs. 1 and 4) which rests on the support adjacent the lower edge of the stack and which terminates at the top substantially atthe upper edge of the tube supporting member F During-theoperation of the arrangement just described, the burner head, which includes the oil receiving cup G the tubes G and the fan J, is rotated by the motor D; the oil, under the action of centrifugal force, climbs upwardly along the inclined surface of the' cup G and into the tubes, whereupon it is ejected from the latter, and combined with a mixture of air drawn up by the fan. The oil, still in liquid form, although somewhat atomized by virtue of the air admixed The mechanism, as thus far described, is old,

and while it has met with substantial commercial success, it presents a serious difficulty, in that the heat from the combustion chamber is transmitted through the upper plate G of the combustion head to'the tubes G and, at the point where the latter are disposed in the combustion head, causes cracking of the oil and the formation of "carbon deposits, thus tending to clog the tubes. This occasions flash backs o'r explosions in the combustion head, and also occasional overflowing of the oil above the irmer edge G of the cup and up over the 'edge'of the flange F on the tube supportingelement F The oil then drips down into the pit below the hearth, so that pit fires may and sometimes do occur.

'In accordance with the present improvements, there is provided means forsubstantially increasing the velocity of the air as it flows past the portion of the head wherein the tubes are inserted' without, however, increasing the total volume of air supplied by'the burner to support combustion. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the

.means referred to includes a bafile N in the form by the baffle N and caused to impinge upon the burner head in the regionwhere the tubes are inserted therein. In other words, the air has its greatest velocity as it passes the region where the trouble occurs,.and consequently the greatest cooling efiect upon the burner. .After" passing through the constricted-region, the air is permitted to. travel toward the ends of the tubes G without undue agitation by reason portion N According to a series of actual tests made, the

temperature of the head was reduced from 670 F.

of the flared without the improved baflie to 480 F. with the baflle, these temperatures representing the average of the tests. The latter temperature of 480 F. is well below the temperature at which. the oil used with these burners .will crack and coke. The absence of coking obviates the disadvantages previously alluded'to. Another advantage flowing from the use of the baffle is an improvement in burner efiiciency. Naturally, to the extent that the burner head is cooled, the air is correspondingly heated, and it is well known that boiler efiiciency can be improved by preheating the combustion air.

Still another advantage is a substantial decrease in cost of maintenance, this being adequately shown by a series of trial or test installations of the improved burner.

In the accompanying drawings, the invention has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred form, and obviously many variations and modifications may be madetherein which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment. except insofar as such limitations arespecified in the appended claims. 1

claim is:

l..In a burner construction of the type cluding, in combination, a, rotatable power. driven vertical drive shaft, a burner head including a plate element fixed on said shaft and having a diameter considerably larger than that of the shaft, a downwardly and inwardly sloping annular member mounted at its upper edge on said plate element near the periphery thereof and formed at its lower edge with an upwardly re-. bent portion providing a channel to receive liquid fuel, the lower edge of said member being spaced suificiently from the shaft to provide for'the' passage of a pipe through which the liquid fuel is delivered to said channel, a plurality of. fuel ejecting nozzles extending outwardly from the periphery of said plate element, a fan arranged outside the nozzles and rotatable by the power driven shaft for drawing air to supportcombustion up past the head for admixture with the fuel, a stack arranged below the fan in spaced relation therewith and through which the air is drawn by said fan, said stack being also located below that portion of the plate element from which the nozzles project, an imperforate bafile of generally truncated conical form extending from thetop of the stack upwardly and inwardly to a position in close proximity to where the nozzles project from the plate-element and' acting to increase the velocity of airflow at such position substantially above the velocity of air flow in the stack.

2. A'burner construction according to claim 1, wherein the imperforate truncated bafiie is formed at its upper edge with a rebent outwardly extending flange. i

3. A burner construction according to claim 1, wherein the iinperforate truncated bafiie is provided with means for mounting said 'baflie on the stack. r

HENRY OR'IIEPP;

Having thus described my invention, what 

